Local Food & Urban Agriculture Strategy

Overview

The City is developing a Local Food & Urban Agriculture Strategy that will provide recommendations on how municipal tools (e.g. plans, bylaws, grants, facilities, leases, and services) can be improved to support a more robust local food system for residents. The goals of the strategy include enhancing food security, increasing capacity for food production, and generating economic benefits that stay within our community. A draft of the LFUAS is now in development... stay tuned!

Financial support for this project is provided by the Canada-Yukon Growing Forward 2 Fund and the Canadian Agriculture Partnership.

Engagement

Two public surveys and three focus group sessions have occurred to help inform the LFUAS:

Public Survey #1 closed on September 2, 2016. The survey asked residents about how they participate in the local food system, challenges they've encountered with policies and regulations, and interests for future food pursuits. A total of 159 people responded. Read what people had to say in the summary linked below.

Public Survey #2 closed on May 15, 2017. Questions covered a mix of topics including local food access and consumption, definitions for 'local', community gardens, and City compost. A total of 296 people responded. Read what people had to say in the summary linked below.

Sessions 1 and 2: Two sessions were held in the fall of 2017. The first was to meet with hen owners to review and discuss current hen and coop regulations, and explore potential bylaw revisions. The second session was to meet with beekeepers to review existing regulations and discuss potential new allowances for beekeeping.

Session 3: A third session was held in the fall of 2019 in collaboration with theCommercial & Industrial Land Studyto discuss the specific industry needs relating to indoor agriculture and processing.

How is the City connected to local food?

The City has a number of plans, bylaws, grants, and services that support and regulate different aspects of the food system. Below are just a few examples: